Last week, I commented on the ABC ("Anyone But Chuck") approach to campaigning for U.S. Congress. I said Steve Friess's argument is "hold your nose and vote for me." That phrase was, perhaps, a little inflammatory.
Let me clarify. What I meant was that if you stay wedded to your particular candidate, the vote will be spread out, and we will elect a U.S. Representative who receives less than 20% of the vote — likely Chuck Gray.
Chuck Gray's approach to politics is akin to a yapping Chihuahua, making lots of noise and getting headlines, but getting little done.
Most concerning is Gray dumping all of Wyoming voters’ election data to an agency of the federal government whose use is unrestricted. Being the first state to turn over the data is not a feather in our state’s cap, when 19 courts have ruled that the data does not have to be disclosed to the bureaucrats. No court has ruled it has to be turned over.
Our privacy was sacrificed when it did not have to be.
We should be voting for a good candidate, not running away from a weak one.
I had a personal favorite, but things changed when many of my friends endorsed Steve Friess for U.S. House last week.
So I arranged a conversation with Friess.
After that conversation, a lot of the misconceptions I had are gone.
First, he's not a billionaire. Steve can afford to live comfortably, but his candidate disclosures show he's worth $25 million. That's a lot of money, but he's not a billionaire by any stretch of the imagination.
His father gave away $500 million to charity during his lifetime and believed his children should know the value of a dollar.
He drives a 2020 Yukon to his campaign events. He ranches cattle, knows how to run a backhoe, and knows how to get his hands dirty.
He raised four kids in Wyoming.
Understanding the need to build a future for your children is a skill only parenthood brings. Steve cares about Wyoming and its future.
He could have chosen anywhere in the world to live. He chose Wyoming.
I was pretty direct in my questioning of him. I told him what I heard was that he had ideas of his own and didn't much care what my friends and neighbors thought.
Steve was genuinely hurt by that statement. He told me he wants nothing more than to listen to the people of Wyoming and represent them to the best of his ability. I believe him.
We chatted about some pretty heavy issues.
He was engaging, showed curiosity, and asked what I thought. And then he did something special: he listened. He asked insightful questions. And when he didn't know the answer to one of my questions, he told me the truth — that he'd have to think about it.
The interaction was refreshing.
That said, there are a few other candidates in the race who would serve well. People I know and like, who would make a great U.S. Representative.
So why, at this late date, am I endorsing Steve Friess?
Wyoming has one representative in Congress — one out of 435. To make an impact as the lone representative from Wyoming, you have to punch above your weight.
Friess, through his work with his father and others, has a lifetime of connections, friendships, and acquaintances that will open doors for him that rookie representatives spend years trying to crack.
I don't think Wyoming has time for on-the-job training in Congress. We need someone who will hit the ground running.
Friess has known Energy Secretary Chris Wright for many years, has had a number of conversations with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and met briefly with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
His contact list — I almost dated myself by writing "rolodex" — is a who's who of congressional leaders. He's almost embarrassed to mention all the names he knows, but I asked.
I came away from the conversation confident that Steve Friess is the person for the job. Not because he's the one with the best chance to beat Chuck Gray, but because he's the one who will do the best job representing my family in Congress.
I make this endorsement knowing there are other great candidates in the race — some of them friends — but at this time and in this place, Steve Friess deserves your serious consideration.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 to 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
